Kiln — corn-drying in Corkbeg

In marshy low-lying ground at the base of an E-W ridge. This feature was excavated in 2007 prior to the construction of a gas-fired electricity generating station in the SW corner of the Whitegate Oil Refinery facility. The feature comprised an L-shaped cut (max. Wth 1.6m; max. D 0.18m) which was interpreted as the remains of a possible corn-drying kiln. It truncated the SE quadrant of a fulacht fia (CO088-123----) from where it extended (L 3.8m) to the E and then turned to the N for a further 4.5m, terminating in the NE quadrant of the fulacht fia. The feature extended through the burnt spread material and down into the subsoil layer in all areas apart from the N terminal where the burnt spread had formed the base. The kiln flue (Wth c. 0.6m) consisted of a flat base, rounded corners and vertical sides that were stone lined. The flue tapered to 0.3m in width at the N terminal where the probable stoke-hole area was identified. A possible 'baffle stone' stood upright across the bend of the flue. The absence of roofing lintels suggested that the kiln had been unroofed when it was backfilled. A saddle quern fragment was recovered from the fill. According to the excavator (Cummins 2008, 9), the siting of the kiln may have been a deliberate attempt to take advantage of the dry, compact ground provided by the fulacht fia spread in an otherwise marshy area. A stone arc, situated immediately to the NW, ran roughly concentric to the sides of the possible kiln and, according to Cummins (ibid., 6), may have been the remains of an earlier kiln structure. Radiocarbon dates for this kiln are currently unavailable. (Cummins 2008) The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 5' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). Date of upload: 22 December 2009